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I guess the reason it went so high is because one of the games ("Family & Fitness: Stadium Events" with original box and sleeve) is so rare.

Still... 13 grand for a NES cart?

Stadium Events is considered the rarest licensed NES game to be released in North America. It was only available at Northern-region Woolworth's Department Stores, which was used as a test market by Bandai before attempting a more wide scale release. About around the same time in 1988, Nintendo purchased the North American rights to the Family Fun Fitness mat technology and re-released it as the Power Pad. The two Family Fun Fitness-branded games (Athletic World & Stadium Events) that had already been released, as well as Bandai's version of the Family Fun Fitness running pad accessory, were pulled from shelves and are presumed to have been destroyed.

Because of this odd sequence of events, only 2000 copies of Stadium Events are believed to have been produced, of which it is estimated that only 200 of those copies reached consumers before being recalled & destroyed. Out of those 200 copies still believed to be in existence, less than 10 copies are believed to be complete copies (have the original box, instruction manual, etc.). And to date only one copy is known to exist in "factory sealed" condition (it sold for over $3,000 on eBay back in 2006).

Both of the Family Fun Fitness-branded games available in the US were later retooled and relabeled to reflect compatibility with the Power Pad by Nintendo instead. Athletic World's label and manual were changed slightly, replacing Family Fun Fitness verbiage with Power Pad wording. The box for Athletic World was changed completely, making the original box a collector's item (though not as much as Stadium Events).

Stadium Events, however, was recalled and distributed under an entirely different title, World Class Track Meet, in late 1988. Stadium Events & World Class Track Meet are identical in game play and content, except for the new external packaging/label and the title changes (internally within the game itself) to reflect the new name.

I am thoroughly disgusted with ebay. Too big, too greedy. Its not like I am looking to make a fortune but I cant even make any reasonable $$ on the things that I want to sell. I have tons of SW figs that I just cant hold on to anymore but the way ebay pushes I feel I should just donate them all instead of being raped by ebay.

Well, that explains it. Still, if a sealed one sold for 3K just four years ago, 13K is still a phenomenal rise in value for an opened one. Do you own a copy of it, LM?

While I tend to know a great deal about this game (and many of the other "holy grails" of the NES), unfortunately no, I don't own a copy of it.

There are actually quite a few "gem" games on the NES that are rare and usually expensive to come by. Some even surpass Stadium Events in value. Unlike Stadium Events though, most of them tend to be either of an unlicensed nature (especially those of the "Adult/Erotic" genre) or of a promotional nature.

Since we want to keep this site "family friendly" I can't list the rare "Adult" games here, but some of the other big NES games to be on the lookout for are:

1990 Nintendo World Championships (Gold Cartridge) - Only 26 copies exist. They were given away in one of Nintendo Power magazine's monthly drawing contest. Usually goes for $15,000-$21,000.1990 Nintendo World Championships (Grey Cartridge) - Only 90 copies exist. In addition to being used in the actual 1990 Nintendo World Championships tournament, these were presented to the 90 semi-finalists. Usually goes for $4,000-$6,100.1991 Nintendo Campus Challenge - Was used in the actual 1991 Nintendo Campus Challenge tournament. After the tournament was over most of these cartridges were destroyed (and at one time it was presumed all of them were destroyed). So far only one example (that I know of) has shown up (was found in an ex-Nintendo employee’s garage sale in 2006). It sold privately for $14,000, then it was resold on eBay for $21,000.Caltron 6-in-1 - Unlicensed game. The company went bankrupt/out of business because of the release. Usually retails for around $525-$2,900.Myriad 6 in 1 - Unlicensed game. These actually were the leftover stock of the above mentioned game, but newly labelled with each cart being individually numbered. To date the highest numbered reported is 888, which means probably less than 1000 copies exist. Usually retails for around $700-$2,900.Cheetahman II - Game was completed, but not officially released. In 1997 all 1,500 copies of the game were found in the game company's warehouse and sold to the public. To this day it is known as one of the most unplayable games of all time. Usually retails for $400-$500.Tetris (By Tengen) - Unlicensed game. Around 1988 the Soviet government began to market the rights to Tetris through an organization called Elektronorgtechnica, or "Elorg" for short. Pajitnov (the original creator of Tetris) had granted his rights to the Soviet Government, via the Computer Center he worked at for ten years. By 1989, half a dozen different companies claimed rights to create and distribute the Tetris software for home computers, game consoles, and handheld systems. Elorg, meanwhile, held that none of the companies were legally entitled to produce an arcade version, and signed those rights over to Atari Games, while it signed non-Japanese console and handheld rights over to Nintendo. Tengen (the console software division of Atari Games), regardless, applied for copyright for their Tetris game for the Nintendo Entertainment System, loosely based on the arcade version, and proceeded to market and distribute it under the name TETЯIS: The Soviet Mind Game, disregarding Nintendo's license from Elorg. Nintendo contacted Atari Games claiming they had stolen rights to Tetris, whereupon Atari Games sued, believing they had the rights. After only four weeks on the shelf, the courts ruled that Nintendo had the rights to Tetris on home game systems, and Tengen's TETЯIS game was recalled, with an unknown number of copies sold. The lawsuits between Tengen and Nintendo over the NES version carried on until 1993. Usually goes for $37-$160 depending on the condition.Bubble Bobble Part 2 - Released in 1993, at the end of the NES's life. Usually goes for $56–$163.California Raisins - Made by Capcom, but not officially released due to the Raisins diminishing popularity. Copies usually go for $45–$1,000, with the higher price going for complete packaged copies (which are harder to come by than the game itself).Fire ‘N Ice - Released in 1993, at the end of the NES's life. Usually goes for $45 – $153.Duck Tales 2 - Released in 1993, at the end of the NES's life. Usually goes for $37 – $130.The Flintstones: The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak - Released in 1993, at the end of the NES's life. This game is rare to find packaged as it was released exclusively to game rental companies and bypassed the traditional retail market. Usually goes for $75 – $250.Stack Up (Complete Copy) - The game in of itself can be bought cheap (about $15), but finding a complete copy (due to all its external ROB accessories that came with it) is extremely rare. A complete copy can go for $160–$248.

I have to clearout some space in my house and have decided to sell my Hasbro 12" figures. I don't want them anymore since I have been collecting the Sideshow versions. I have every one of them, all unopened, except the EIII Ultimate Vader figure. I'm going to list them on ebay but would like some opinions/input on several issues.

1. In the past, I typically have sold things as sets. I have observed that while I won't get the maximum dollar for a rare item, I will get a higher overall sale as the common figures usually don't sell. However, for the 12" figures, there are over 100 items so shipping that many means multiple boxes. So I would like so imput of whether I should still sell them as a set, break them up into categories (ie. Action Collection, Collector Series etc.), or sell them singular.

2. Im not looking to make a profit here, more looking to clear out space. That being said, I don't want to rip myself off (which I think I just did on a Transformers lot auction). What do you think would be a reasonable sell price? Not book value. All of the figures are MIB with the exception of Collector Series Greedo which my sister smashed, and the J.C. Pennys FX Vader/Obi-Wan set which I opened to check out all the cool stuff.

3. I typically sell to international places, but with my last auction (the transformer one) I only sold to the US. I did this because shipping internationally is very expensive. However, all the questions I received were of the international variety, which complicated everything. With an auction of this size, should I stick with US only or go international.

I'm looking to make this as easy of a process as possible. The transformers auction I just completed was as stressful as anything I've ever done. The crazy questions, the careful packing, the constant shipping quotes, and the search for the allowable box shipping sizes; I felt like I worked the entire weekend on this, and the auction ended after only 30 hours with the Buy it Now feature.

Nowhere in your incoherent ramblings did you come anywhere close to the answer. Thanks to you, everyone in this room is now stupider having heard you. I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul. -Billy Madison-

About a couple months ago, eBay sent a message that they were changing their eBay Bucks program (a % of each win adds up over a 3-month period, then you get a certificate of that amount to use on future bids): you have to spend enough to earn $5 in Bucks to actually receive said bonus. I have NEVER spent enough to earn $5 in all my time signed up with the site. Number of bids I've placed since that message? I'll give you a subtle hint: the number is equal to or lesser than 0.